Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1887-08-26

sive TO the mystic rythm of the two classic
cantos In the poem of mans earthly life.
10 the demand for scientific culture,
do not demur. But physical science is not
all science. There is in the world that
which is grander than the craven rocks,
more wondrous than atoms, sublimer than
the starry heavens-I mean the mind of
man. BY all means let education be scien-
ti6c, but let us not be SO occupied with the
material phenomena without US as to forget
the immortal soul within US and by omit
ting linguistic training exclude from our
scheme of studies an important branch of the
science of man, the neblest of all sciences,
save only Theology, the science of God.
That classical culture, which can not teach
us the wave-lengths Of light or the velocity
of sound, can teach us to know our
selves through the study of human thought,
can strengthen and adorn our intellects,
cherish our n0blest aspirations, and satisfy
the aesthetic natures passionate craving for
the beautiful
The study of the classics may be, and it
ought TO be, truly scientific. That it is not
80 is the cause of much Of the antagonism
TO Greek and Latin. Philosophic method
should underlie all classical instruction In
order that any course of study, whatever
the subject-matter, may be crowned with
complete success, two factors, a good teacher
and pupil with brains, are necessary. The
classics can not be justly charged with the
pitiable results produced by the truly abomi-
nable teaching of Mr.. Feeder, b. A., nor
should studies which have impaired polish
and grace and power to many of the worlds
greatest be cast away as valueless, because,
torsooth, "a year or two's Latin" can not en-
tighten louis like Tony Lumpkin, or dover
a N i'm hnoila with ;ntaIIacf
Last in order, though perhaps, to use hack
neyed jingle, not least in importance, men
ton, among the advantages of classical cul-
ture, the pleasure of the student in his work
Some may, indeed, regard this pleasure as
mythical, but |, at least, can never forget
how the sunshine gladdened and gilded my
way through the years of school and college
life There was joy in transating. Wis.,
ions OF loveliness came to me at the mid
night hour as by my lonely lamp l sat pcr-
ing over the eloquent pages of some favor
lite author. My constant digging and delv-
ing in the rich gold fields of ancient thought
was repaid with many precious nugget.
In the classic literatures found wit and
wisdom welded to perfect form. Then there
was the pleasure of tracing back for myself
the history Of English words. Who that
has not felt it can describe the intense de.
light with which a student discovers an in
teresting derivation, or. restores the faded
colors OF q verbal metaphor 1t is surely no
mean reward for our toll to be able thus
to discover the hidden beauties of speech
| Hundreds and even thousands of English
words are found TO have histories of much
interest. And yet we so often hear the cry
that Latin and Greek are dead languages.
Dead they live in your thoughts this hour
Dead they still glow with the orators fire
and dance with fairy step to the music OF
the poet. Dead Latin words are spoken
in the vineyards of sunny France, whis-
pered by cooling lovers under Italy's starit
skies, lisped by the lips Of beauty in the
language of CASTLE. Dead newspapers are
printed to day in the famous Grecian tongue.
| Dead the classics can not truly die; they
are as immortal as the deathless souls whose
deathless thoughts these deathless words ex-
pressed
nave not sought to fertility by the dicta of
authority the positions taken in this essay.
1t will not, however, be amiss to quote the
weighty words of the celebrated "Opinion"
addressed by the Philosophical Faculty Of
the University of Berlin to the German Min
istry of Education. "If we desired supreme
court Of culture to decide the classical ques-
tion," says Prof. Andrew West, ITO what bet
ter tribunal could we appeal than this? the
central faculty of the most illustrious uni
verslty of the best educated natien in the
world" The gist of the faculty's opinion,
on this subject, is contained in the following
words ; "The ideality of the scientific sense,
interest in learning not dependent on nor
limited by practical aims, but ministering
to the liberal education of the mind as such,
the many-sided andwidely extended exercise
OF the thinking power, and an acquaintance
with the classical basis Of our civilization
can be satisfactorily cultivated only in our
institutions Of classical learning" Those
who demand additional authority may find
1t in the hearty testimony of unnumbered
eminent men who have gratefully acknowl
edged their debts to the classics, and in the
opinion of the overwhelming majority OF
the worlds scholars, living and dead, as re-
corded in their public utterances, and crys-
tallized in the curricuia of colleges. l have
no fear that the world will leave the path
that has led so many to glorious achieve
ments. The clamor of the hour will soon
die away, and the classics shall still be
cherished whenever culture and art are
found. We need not exclude mathematics,
we need not exclude science, we need not
exclude languages, ancient or modern. All
may be studied, all ought to be studied, side
by side in correlated and co-erdinated
course. Such system of education would
turn out not one-sided and lop-sided men,
but men of wide culture and symmetrical
character, who would adorn their native
land, and elevate the standards OF life In
our country's name we plead for this liberal
education for American boys,i in order that the
great Republic Of Republics, where the love
OF liberty dwells in every heart and industry
heaps her shining store, may become re-
public OF letters too, whittier literature and
sci ence and art shall come to live beneath
the friendly folds Of our starry flag, and in
which fame may be won by the scholars
pen as well as by the soldiers sword May
the day soon dawn when profound Ameri-
can scholarship shall command the rever
ence OF the world when rich American
literature springing racy from the soil, shall
epe uncounted clustered glores to the kisses
OF the sun; when the American people,
burning with high and holy aims, shall
cherish all those virtues and graces that
make people truly great